10 Things You Didn’t Know about Wine

We’ve searched for the best and most fascinating wine facts you probably had no clue about…until now. Get to know these interesting conversation starters or just satisfy your curiosity with our list.

#10: The Speyer wine bottle is the oldest in the world

Found in 1867, the Speyer wine bottle is the oldest bottle of wine in the world. It was discovered in Speyer, Germany (thus, the name) and was carbon dated to have been made between 325 to 350 AD. The bottle is estimated to hold 1.5 liters of alcohol and is now a prominent display in the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer.

#9: Oinophobia is the fear of wine

The term used to label the intense and irrational hatred for wine is oinophobia. Several versions of this name are: oenophobia, enophobia, oinophobia. The phobia is also considered to be like other chronic anxiety disorders, and it can be treated with many kinds of therapies and medication.

#8: Welch’s Grape Juice was made to substitute wine

Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch, a Methodist minister from New Jersey and the inventor Welch’s 100% Grape Juice, created the drink as a substitute for sacramental wine. Today, it’s one of the most popular grape juice that’s sold worldwide, but it really began as an attempt to replace alcohol usage inside the church.

#7: Flowers and herbs can be turned into wine

Rose petals and other flowers and herbs can literally be incorporated into wine. Various plants and ingredients like wine yeast and honey for sweetness are combined, fermented, basically brewed into drinkable liquor. The alchemic process is so popular among many Americans that plenty of DIY tutorials are dedicated to it online.

#6: Moldova has the biggest wine cellar in the world

Mileștii Mici is a wine producer from Moldova, a small country in Europe with a population of a little over 3.5 million. It boasts the largest wine cellar on Earth as honored by the Guinness World Records for having the “The Largest Quality Wine Collection in the World”. The cellar is 200 kilometers long, and it houses almost 2 million bottles of wine. In fact, it’s so huge that you can actually take bus rides inside.

#5: Spain now produces electric blue wine

Just recently, Spain introduced Gïk, a new kind of wine that gives off an electric blue color. The hue apparently comes from a mix of different varieties of grapes from vineyards all over Spain. It’s been reported to have been created while skipping the aging process but is designed to pair with just about anything including pizza and junk food.

#4: The most dangerous wine in the world is found in Syria

Château Bargylus or Domaine de Bargylus is a wine-producing state in the Al-Ansariyah mountains in Syria. The Château is difficultly placed a war-torn country that’s filled with dangerous religious radicals, rebels and private militia. It’s managed by brothers Karim and Sandro Saadé whose wine has been dubbed as the “most dangerous wine in the world” by international journalists. Fortunately, despite the dire situation in their country, the brothers’ wine has also been labelled as one of the finest in the Eastern Mediterranean.

#3: Wine boosts brain power

Reveratrol, a compound found in red wine that’s from red grapes’ skin and seeds, has been proven to increase short-term memory. Research on the substance concluded that people who are exposed to it can remember things better and learn faster.

#2: The Vatican drinks the most wine per capita

It’s a known fact that there are a lot of countries in Europe that drink more wine than any other countries in the world. But, inside this wine-loving continent is Vatican City, the state that consumes the most wine yearly. On average, a resident from the Vatican can drink 54.26 liters of wine per year. Analysts attribute this to the state’s older citizens who tend to eat and drink together and its dominant religion, Roman Catholicism, which has a practice of drinking sacramental wine.

#1: Koreans make wine from poop

And, the number one factoid? That’s right. As crazy as it sounds, you DID read it correctly. Ttongsul is a traditional Korean drink that’s also known as feces wine. The ‘ingredients’ used in making it come from children’s feces. This is because it’s believed that children have what’s considered to be the “purest” poop. Although it’s not really clear where and when the drink came from, it’s been used for centuries as a form of medicine